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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/live/2017/jun/02/general-election-webchat-post-your-questions-for-our-writers-now
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| Join us for a live general election webchat – post your questions now | Join us for a live general election webchat – post your questions now |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 12.05pm BST | |
| 12:05 | |
| Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett | |
| Rhiannon, do the people at the Guardian treat you any differently now that you've declared your love for Jezza? | |
| Hi Boojay. Yes: I have to sit on my own in the canteen now. | |
| Honestly though? Not really. The staff is made up of people with all kinds of different views and opinions. There are quite a few Corbyn enthusiasts amongst us, and quite a few people spoke up for him at the meeting we just had. Saying that, I am definitely on the more “lefty” end of the spectrum! | |
| Updated | |
| at 12.05pm BST | |
| 11.57am BST | |
| 11:57 | |
| Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett | |
| Why are issues that affect disabled and sick people(who are a large part of the electorate) not being covered by the parties? | |
| I’ve seen Corbyn talk about it, and members of audiences have been raising it as well, but honestly? As someone with several disabled family members, I think it’s because what’s happening to disabled people is invisible to most of the electorate. | |
| The Guardian has been working tirelessly to expose what is happening to disabled people – I’m a particular fan of Frances Ryan’s columns – but you’re unlikely to read about it in many other newspapers, and those are what most of the people in the country are reading. I think a large majority of people don’t know how bad it is, and then also you have the people who really don’t care – such has been the demonisation of people who claim benefits. It breaks my heart. | |
| 11.51am BST | |
| 11:51 | |
| Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett | |
| Are surprised at how well Labour appear to be doing and in particular how increasingly credible Corbyn is being seen as. | |
| Yes! I am so surprised. As I wrote here yesterday, despite being a keen Corbyn supporter at the outset I had pretty much bought into the narrative that he was useless. | |
| Whoever did his media training deserves a medal. I think it’s partly because he’s actually getting some airtime, so people can actually see what he’s about rather than just reading about him, but it’s also that he seems a lot calmer and more relaxed, with policies that he is passionately speaking up for. | |
| 11.45am BST | |
| 11:45 | |
| 'I have been pleasantly surprised by Corbyn' | |
| Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett | |
| Doris Johnson is another reader who asked a question in advance via our callout: | |
| Having watched various TV debates and interviews, does the panel think that the standard of political discourse and their ability to answer a question honestly is at an all time low?I’m not sure it’s all that much lower than 2015 – I’m recalling the attacks on Ed Miliband’s father as “the man who hated Britain”, the bacon sandwich brouhaha, and a thousand other petty little distractions from policy. Or indeed the awful lies during the referendum campaign. | |
| But certainly Theresa May has given new meaning to the word “vague” in her responses, and that’s if she just turns up at all. We’re all used to political soundbites but this year has seen them repeated over and over at the expense of any real policy discussion – see May’s recent Plymouth Herald interview, which is so ridiculous it seems like a spoof. | |
| Saying that, I have been pleasantly surprised by Jeremy Corbyn, who is at least making an effort to talk about inequality, food banks, and the NHS, while seeming a lot calmer and more measured than previously. Caroline Lucas and Leanne Wood have been good as always. The fact that the audience was openly laughing at Amber Rudd during the TV debates does seem to indicate that the public have had it up to here with political rhetoric, and are just looking for some honesty for a change. | |
| Updated | |
| at 11.49am BST | |
| 11.36am BST | |
| 11:36 | |
| Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett | |
| Can the Prime Minister explain why her poll ratings have fallen so dramatically, and why there is talk of a Labour victory. Hasn't she made a huge mistake calling this eletio? | |
| I think we’d all like her to explain that, but it’s difficult to hold someone to account when they are refusing to go on air or meet members of the general public. All part of her strategy, I’m sure. | |
| 11.32am BST | |
| 11:32 | |
| Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett | |
| Victor Draper asks: | |
| Are we seeing the beginning of a new political surprise such as Brexit or the Trump victory? If you’re talking about a Corbyn win, then obviously I would absolutely love that, but I am so used to things not going my way in politics that I refuse to get my hopes up (plus the polls aren’t looking great, though I can understand why people no longer pay much attention to those). Wouldn’t it be a shock to the system if it did happen, though? Anything is possible, but it doesn’t seem very likely. | |
| 11.25am BST | 11.25am BST |
| 11:25 | 11:25 |
| The previous reader referenced the work John Harris has been doing up and down the country – here’s the latest film from him and John Domokos in Scotland. | The previous reader referenced the work John Harris has been doing up and down the country – here’s the latest film from him and John Domokos in Scotland. |
| 11.20am BST | 11.20am BST |
| 11:20 | 11:20 |
| 'The simple fact is that the media is too London-centric' | 'The simple fact is that the media is too London-centric' |
| Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett |
| Here’s another question from the comments: | Here’s another question from the comments: |
| As an Irish citizen, I feel like Northern Ireland is being referenced in this election pretty much only as a rhetorical stick to beat Jeremy Corbyn with. I feel this is pretty irresponsible. | As an Irish citizen, I feel like Northern Ireland is being referenced in this election pretty much only as a rhetorical stick to beat Jeremy Corbyn with. I feel this is pretty irresponsible. |
| Why is decent coverage of Northern Ireland so absent from mainstream UK discussions? | Why is decent coverage of Northern Ireland so absent from mainstream UK discussions? |
| Looking forward to John Harris's video though! | Looking forward to John Harris's video though! |
| I can see why you would be frustrated. I agree with you. | I can see why you would be frustrated. I agree with you. |
| The simple fact is that the media is too London-centric. Look at how, after the Brexit vote, journalists were suddenly woken up to the fact that the North actually exists and that there are people there who want to be part of the discussion. I’m Welsh and the coverage of Wales has me in despair. | The simple fact is that the media is too London-centric. Look at how, after the Brexit vote, journalists were suddenly woken up to the fact that the North actually exists and that there are people there who want to be part of the discussion. I’m Welsh and the coverage of Wales has me in despair. |
| Re Northern Ireland, it is incredibly irresponsible, because the border is one of the most important aspects of the Brexit negotiations, and politicians are just burying their heads in the sand. I don’t think they have the remotest clue what to do about it. | Re Northern Ireland, it is incredibly irresponsible, because the border is one of the most important aspects of the Brexit negotiations, and politicians are just burying their heads in the sand. I don’t think they have the remotest clue what to do about it. |
| 11.15am BST | 11.15am BST |
| 11:15 | 11:15 |
| Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett |
| Rhiannon is also posting in the comments here. A reader asks: | Rhiannon is also posting in the comments here. A reader asks: |
| After six & a half years at the Home Office, is there one thing that Theresa May can point to as something she has done to improve anything at all under her remit?She slashed police numbers, border force officer numbers, the passport fiasco, the immigrants go home vans etc, etc, etc.Why hasn't anyone actually attacked her competency? | After six & a half years at the Home Office, is there one thing that Theresa May can point to as something she has done to improve anything at all under her remit?She slashed police numbers, border force officer numbers, the passport fiasco, the immigrants go home vans etc, etc, etc.Why hasn't anyone actually attacked her competency? |
| I agree – it’s frustrating, isn’t it? But I suppose it’s partly because the more authoritarian of her initiatives as home secretary were popular with voters (even Labour recognised this – remember the “Controls on immigration” mugs?) | I agree – it’s frustrating, isn’t it? But I suppose it’s partly because the more authoritarian of her initiatives as home secretary were popular with voters (even Labour recognised this – remember the “Controls on immigration” mugs?) |
| This election campaign is interesting because it has been so focused on Brexit that May’s track record has been all but forgotten (with the exception of police numbers, which is something that has been raised). I would love to see her challenged over the conditions at Yarl’s Wood, for instance. That said she seems to be doing a rather good job of exposing her incompetence all by herself, which is enjoyable to watch. | This election campaign is interesting because it has been so focused on Brexit that May’s track record has been all but forgotten (with the exception of police numbers, which is something that has been raised). I would love to see her challenged over the conditions at Yarl’s Wood, for instance. That said she seems to be doing a rather good job of exposing her incompetence all by herself, which is enjoyable to watch. |
| 11.10am BST | 11.10am BST |
| 11:10 | 11:10 |
| 'Is voting Green a wasted vote?' | 'Is voting Green a wasted vote?' |
| Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett |
| First up, columnist Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett has been looking at some of the questions you are asking through our callout. Linda Seru asks: | First up, columnist Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett has been looking at some of the questions you are asking through our callout. Linda Seru asks: |
| Is voting Green a wasted vote? Or is it better to abstain rather than vote for a local Labour candidate who may have some chance of beating the longstanding Tory candidate? | Is voting Green a wasted vote? Or is it better to abstain rather than vote for a local Labour candidate who may have some chance of beating the longstanding Tory candidate? |
| Well, I can’t tell you how to vote. It sounds as though you aren’t going to vote Labour, despite them having a chance of beating the Tory candidate, which is what I would be doing, because I feel as though we have been given a clear choice between two very different societies and I feel passionately that Labour’s vision is the one of the two that’s better for the country. | Well, I can’t tell you how to vote. It sounds as though you aren’t going to vote Labour, despite them having a chance of beating the Tory candidate, which is what I would be doing, because I feel as though we have been given a clear choice between two very different societies and I feel passionately that Labour’s vision is the one of the two that’s better for the country. |
| But if you’re opposed to tactical voting then I think all you can really do is vote for the candidate whose policies that you agree with, and if that is the Green party candidate then that should be your choice. Even if they have no hope of winning at least you’ve voted for someone whose views you respect. But like I said, personally I would vote Labour in this situation. | But if you’re opposed to tactical voting then I think all you can really do is vote for the candidate whose policies that you agree with, and if that is the Green party candidate then that should be your choice. Even if they have no hope of winning at least you’ve voted for someone whose views you respect. But like I said, personally I would vote Labour in this situation. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 11.10am BST | at 11.10am BST |
| 11.04am BST | 11.04am BST |
| 11:04 | 11:04 |
| Thanks for joining us and providing some questions for our colleagues to get stuck into. As well as our columnists responses to your debate points and questions, we’ll also highlight some of the best discussion you’ve been having below the line. | Thanks for joining us and providing some questions for our colleagues to get stuck into. As well as our columnists responses to your debate points and questions, we’ll also highlight some of the best discussion you’ve been having below the line. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 11.05am BST | at 11.05am BST |
| 2.40pm BST | 2.40pm BST |
| 14:40 | 14:40 |
| Post your questions now | Post your questions now |
| Matthew Holmes | Matthew Holmes |
| After debates on the party manifestos in this space over the last few weeks (here’s our discussion on Labour and here’s the Conservative manifesto dissected by readers and writers) we’ve reached a critical point in campaigning – with less than a week before the nation heads to the polls on 8 June. | After debates on the party manifestos in this space over the last few weeks (here’s our discussion on Labour and here’s the Conservative manifesto dissected by readers and writers) we’ve reached a critical point in campaigning – with less than a week before the nation heads to the polls on 8 June. |
| How do you think it’s been going? What do you make of recent polling that has surprised many? Did you watch the TV debates? Are there any issues that you feel haven’t been discussed as much as you’d like? | How do you think it’s been going? What do you make of recent polling that has surprised many? Did you watch the TV debates? Are there any issues that you feel haven’t been discussed as much as you’d like? |
| We’re inviting readers to join a team of Guardian columnists in this space to debate these points and more. You can ask your questions either in the comments below or via our dedicated callout and we’ll do our best to answer as many of them as we can, posting some of the most interesting discussions here between 11am-1pm (BST) on Friday. | We’re inviting readers to join a team of Guardian columnists in this space to debate these points and more. You can ask your questions either in the comments below or via our dedicated callout and we’ll do our best to answer as many of them as we can, posting some of the most interesting discussions here between 11am-1pm (BST) on Friday. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 10.48am BST | at 10.48am BST |